Cyber extortion is becoming more common. Hackers are threatening to leak private data if they don’t receive a ransom. Globally, that has cost businesses more than $20 billion.
For your safety and sanity, you should know how to avoid becoming a victim of online extortion. You will learn more about the best ways to avoid falling victim to these hackers in this guide, including how to prevent cyber extortion as part of your overall protection.
1. Strengthen Your Cybersecurity Measures
The best defense to fend off online extortion is a strong firewall. All devices, such as laptops, phones, and tablets, should have current security and firewalls in place to mitigate cyber extortion risks.
Forget your passwords, but remember to use multi-factor authentication (MFA) when possible to keep online accounts safe. In addition to your password, MFA requires you to have another way to demonstrate who you are. It might be a text message or an app that you can log in to.
Also, make sure your apps and the systems on which they run are current. Updates contain security fixes that mitigate the threat of known and identified vulnerabilities and make them less vulnerable to cyber extortion.
2. Monitor Your Systems for Suspicious Activity
Gartner conducted a study in 2025 that showed early detection could have prevented 60% of successful hacks. Install an intrusion detection system (IDS). Additionally, monitor logs for any unusual activity, such as unauthorized access or unusual data transfers linked to cyber extortion.
If a company has a security operations team operating 24 hours a day, it can monitor its systems. This could result in small businesses hiring a security service to watch for breaches as they occur and limit exposure from cyber extortion.
3. Educate Your Employees
The Anti-Phishing Working Group (APWG) reported that phishing continues to see year-over-year growth of over 50%. By doing so, inform your workers about phishing mail, fake websites, or calls that seem to be coming from an authentic place. One of the best tips for avoiding cyber extortion is to train individuals.
Also, remind them how essential it is never to click on links or download attachments from sources you do not trust. Exercise your security muscle to avoid becoming a target of cyber terrorism.
4. Secure Sensitive Information
Businesses that encrypt are 35% less likely to lose money from a cyber extortion attack, as backed up by research from the Ponemon Institute.
Be sure to encrypt the backups with a strong algorithm, such as AES-256. Stronger encryption will also make it harder for malicious hackers to hold your data for ransom.
When picking a cloud storage service, you should also consider encryption rules and security standards that help reduce the risk of cyber extortion.
5. Have a Response Plan in Place
With all that, however, you may still be the target of an attack. A good way to know what to do if you are on the receiving end of cyber extortion is to have an incident response plan.
You should also include how the company will control a breach, report it to law enforcement, and notify victims. This will help you respond faster and prevent further damage done by the attack, particularly if your company is struggling with cyber extortion.
Reduce the Risk of Cyber Extortion
Cyber extortion can be frightening, but you can reduce your risk of being a victim by taking the right steps. Improving your cybersecurity, keeping an eye out for fishy behavior, teaching your staff, keeping sensitive data safe, and having a clear response plan are all important parts of a complete defense strategy. Protect yourself today so that you don’t become a victim tomorrow.
